Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Beast is back, with a new weekly feature that spotlights ladies who have done some kind of work in the genre. This week's feature is bittersweet, however, because we recently lost this screen siren. The lovely and talented Ingrid Pitt passed away on November 23rd , 2010, at the age of 73.

Ingrid was from Poland, and survived the Nazi camps and managed to escape the Communist police. She went on to become an actress and appear in some pictures in Spain, and eventually went on to star in horror films at the famous Hammer Studios. Films such as The Vampire Lovers and Countess Dracula gained her a following that continues today. Ingrid also appeared in Where Eagles Dare with Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood, as well as the horror classic The Wicker Man with Christopher Lee. By all accounts Ingrid was a class act...in the extras on the Anchor Bay version of The Wicker Man people involved with the film told about another actress behaving like a prima donna while shooting in the brisk Scottish locations, demanding a coat and coffee and such. When someone asked Ingrid if she wanted a coat, she gestured to all the extras and said to the effect, "If they all don't need coats, then I certainly don't need one either!" Even though she was a star, she was a team player.

Ingrid went on to write several books, including her autobiography Life's a Scream. She was still active on the convention scene as well. Ingrid possessed a charm, beauty, and class that few actresses have. She was a wonderful part of horror history, and will be missed. RIP.